From the VFW Website -
Juan Pablo Socarrás Yani of SOCARRÁS is a designer and entrepreneur with more than 17 years of experience leading transformation and social impact projects through the design and creation of collections that connect with artisanal, indigenous, Afro-descendant and traditional communities in Latin America.
As an expert consultant, he has supported international organizations such as IDB, USAID, Women Together, PADF, the World Corporation for Women Colombia, among others, in the
design, construction and implementation of projects on topics such as economic and productive
empowerment that promote sustainable development of communities, gender equality and poverty reduction
As a leader of social projects, his success is found in the creation of social value, the
empowerment of communities and giving a voice to each artisan, indigenous, people displaced
by violence and Afro-descendant; with which life stories and traditions are told to raise awareness,
educate and open conversations that produce transformations at all levels of society.
The designer has been recognized by multiple organizations:
How did you learn your skills?
I studied industrial design in Colombia, fashion design, I specialized in strategic design and innovation; business models and digital strategies and political leadership. I started a master's degree in sustainability that I must resume.
It has been a learning process, it has also been empirical through continuous work with Latin American artisan communities, where they have taught me their techniques and crafts.
Who are you as a designer? Aesthetic? Customer? Brand?
The Socarras brand seeks to transcend stories and the principle of extended well-being, where we work to continually rescue Latin American artisan techniques and crafts to turn them into the new luxury and bring them to different markets; As a designer I have been working for 17 years, with different organizations, brands and with my own brand Socarrás, where we make social impact and we have a background of important social transformation. Our consumer is a conscious one, who looks for a story and that is why it is important for us to tell a good story.
What comes easiest for you as a designer? What is hardest?
The easiest thing, I think for all designers are the creative processes that you learn step by step. The most difficult thing is to become a viable and sustainable business; without a doubt our great weakness is the financial part and the construction of a business model. However, as time passes, this becomes a strength and a way of learning, strengthening skills and building teams where all those skills create a viable and sustainable brand over time.
Readers would love to know more about the current collection you showed at Vancouver Fashion Week. Do you have a favorite look in this collection?
Where can readers purchase your designs?
You can find the designs through the platform www.socarras.com.co and soon we will build a larger platform that will reach many parts of the world.
What's next for you as a designer and your brand?
As a designer and social manager, we seek to impact more than 80,000 people around the world by 2030. Do more projects with artisan communities in Latin America and the world; We seek to generate direct support for social entrepreneurs in Latin America and we seek to be a sounding board for all the communities we work with. As a company, we are working towards recognition globally as a luxury artisan brand.
Links -
empowerment that promote sustainable development of communities, gender equality and poverty reduction
empowerment of communities and giving a voice to each artisan, indigenous, people displaced
by violence and Afro-descendant; with which life stories and traditions are told to raise awareness,
educate and open conversations that produce transformations at all levels of society.
The designer has been recognized by multiple organizations:
- Women Together Award as designer for development, awarded by the United Nations. Global Leader award from Woman Economic forum LATAM.
- Organization with the power of Change towards gender equality awarded by She is Global Forum.
- Cromos Award for best brand runway.
- Favorite designer of the Colombian public award by Infashion magazine, among others.
Please share a bit about your journey to embrace fashion design as a career.
I decided to be a designer from a very young age, I always had a sensitivity towards artistic themes. Without a doubt, designing shoes and dresses always caught my attention. My world was very about painting, expressing through art, and from a very young age I always wanted to be an artist and design was the best way to express it.
I decided to be a designer from a very young age, I always had a sensitivity towards artistic themes. Without a doubt, designing shoes and dresses always caught my attention. My world was very about painting, expressing through art, and from a very young age I always wanted to be an artist and design was the best way to express it.
How did you learn your skills?
I studied industrial design in Colombia, fashion design, I specialized in strategic design and innovation; business models and digital strategies and political leadership. I started a master's degree in sustainability that I must resume.
It has been a learning process, it has also been empirical through continuous work with Latin American artisan communities, where they have taught me their techniques and crafts.
The Socarras brand seeks to transcend stories and the principle of extended well-being, where we work to continually rescue Latin American artisan techniques and crafts to turn them into the new luxury and bring them to different markets; As a designer I have been working for 17 years, with different organizations, brands and with my own brand Socarrás, where we make social impact and we have a background of important social transformation. Our consumer is a conscious one, who looks for a story and that is why it is important for us to tell a good story.
What comes easiest for you as a designer? What is hardest?
The easiest thing, I think for all designers are the creative processes that you learn step by step. The most difficult thing is to become a viable and sustainable business; without a doubt our great weakness is the financial part and the construction of a business model. However, as time passes, this becomes a strength and a way of learning, strengthening skills and building teams where all those skills create a viable and sustainable brand over time.
Where do you find inspiration for new collections? How important is color to your design process?
For my collections I find inspiration in my travels, I find inspiration in my family, in artisan communities, the women in my life. This collection is inspired by Cecilia, who is a very important aunt for me.
Color is very important in my life too, without a doubt it is a form of expression, it is a moment, an instant, there are times when I make totally monochromatic collections with color blocks, and other times I have excess of color. And although I come from Colombia I don't use many prints, I prefer natural dyes, I like more processes made with communities and in the prints I look for them to be different.
For my collections I find inspiration in my travels, I find inspiration in my family, in artisan communities, the women in my life. This collection is inspired by Cecilia, who is a very important aunt for me.
Color is very important in my life too, without a doubt it is a form of expression, it is a moment, an instant, there are times when I make totally monochromatic collections with color blocks, and other times I have excess of color. And although I come from Colombia I don't use many prints, I prefer natural dyes, I like more processes made with communities and in the prints I look for them to be different.
Readers would love to know more about the current collection you showed at Vancouver Fashion Week. Do you have a favorite look in this collection?
To say I have a favorite look in this collection would be a lie. More than looks, I have many favorite techniques and crafts. This collection is made by more than 122 people from different regions of our country Colombia; but the one I love the most is the one that is completely handmade by the communities of Putumayo.
Where can readers purchase your designs?
You can find the designs through the platform www.socarras.com.co and soon we will build a larger platform that will reach many parts of the world.
What's next for you as a designer and your brand?
As a designer and social manager, we seek to impact more than 80,000 people around the world by 2030. Do more projects with artisan communities in Latin America and the world; We seek to generate direct support for social entrepreneurs in Latin America and we seek to be a sounding board for all the communities we work with. As a company, we are working towards recognition globally as a luxury artisan brand.
Colombia Moda 2022
Links -
- Website - www.socarras.com.co
- Facebook - socarrasofficial
- Instagram - @socarrasofficial
- Twitter - @Juanpsocarras
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